Preterm Birth Committee Report

Baroness Owen of Alderley Edge Excerpts

Friday 6th June 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Owen of Alderley Edge (Con)]

My Lords, I begin by paying tribute to my noble friend Lord Patel for his excellent chairmanship of the Preterm Birth Committee, as well as his huge compassion throughout, and to my noble friend Lady Bertin for proposing the subject of the inquiry.

My time on this committee brought one of the most poignant moments of my time in your Lordships’ House, when the committee had the chance to visit a neonatal unit at a local hospital to gain an insight into the plight of babies born pre term and the experience of their families. Even a year on from my visit, the sight of a tiny baby, born at 23 weeks, in an incubator remains in my mind and emphasises to me the importance of bringing about real, positive change for those born too early. I hope that the work of the committee and the report do justice to those who gave evidence and bravely shared their experiences; I also hope that they can be used by government to improve the lives of those born pre term.

I will focus on a few aspects of the committee’s findings. One thing that struck me most during our evidence sessions was the seeming simplicity of some of the interventions, as well as the frustration that great improvements could be made if those interventions were implemented consistently. On perinatal optimisation interventions, we heard specifically that delayed cord clamping can reduce mortality by up to half for preterm babies, yet it has not been implemented consistently. In a recent briefing, the charity Bliss warned that variation in practice remains rife.

Another example that formed part of the committee’s recommendations—this was highlighted by my noble friend Lady Wyld—is the importance of family integrated care, where parents play a key role in their baby’s care. Evidence from Bliss found that this leads to better outcomes for babies, reducing mortality and morbidity as well as requiring fewer days in neonatal care. Despite the great benefits associated with family integrated care, sadly, it is not always possible due to the lack of facilities for parents and access to overnight accommodation. A 2022 study from Bliss found that 75% of parents did not have access to overnight accommodation when their baby was critically ill. On a visit to a local hospital, the committee saw for itself family integrated care in action and was privileged to speak with parents and hear about their experience. I am pleased that, given the committee’s recommendation, the Government have said that they will publish early next year the findings of the maternity and neonatal estate survey, detailing parental accommodation. However, I would be grateful if the Minister could give a better idea of when this will be.

Finally, I wish to focus on the observation made by the committee around research. During an evidence session, I was particularly surprised by the lack of both research and funding for research taking place into the causes of preterm birth. The committee rightly highlighted the need to push for more research into pregnancy and to further our knowledge of the mechanisms of preterm labour. Not only is greater knowledge of this area critical to improving the life outcomes of those who are born too early but, importantly, from a government perspective, the evidence from economic modelling for England and Wales suggests that, if we could delay preterm birth by one week across gestational ages, it would lead to a cost saving of £1.41 billion per year. The British Association of Perinatal Medicine suggested that investment in simple, low-cost interventions will engender longitudinal cost savings in healthcare and education many times over.

I am pleased with the positive response from the Government on the report’s findings, but it is vital that we continue a watching brief, ensuring that commitments are followed through and recommendations are implemented as quickly as possible to improve the lives of babies born pre term in our society so that they can not only survive but go on to flourish.